Has winter aged your skin? Enzyme therapy will help!

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Do you feel like the winter has aged you? Is your skin dull, sluggish, rough or patchy?

Don’t worry, you just need a skin reboot!

Enzyme therapy facials are perfect for skin that needs a boost after dull, drying winter has wreaked its havoc.

At Skin Essentials by Mariga’s Wexford-based skin clinic, we specialise in restoring and rejuvenating unresponsive and lacklustre skin to a beautiful, radiant healthy glow.

Utilising the rejuvenating power of natural fruit enzymes we create a series of three treatments especially for your skin which will progressively smooth, brighten, hydrate, nourish and restore your skin to a smooth, radiant, youthful complexion.

For a deep skin restoration effect, you will have three treatments, 10-14 days apart, each tailored on the results of the last, to achieve maximum cellular stimulation. Then move on to monthly maintenance treatments to ensure your skin stays in great condition all year round.

Each enzyme therapy facial takes 45 minutes and prices start at €68 per treatment.
(You can upgrade to a deluxe 60 minute facial for even more luxury and relaxation)!

As well as the customised enzyme therapy each facial includes a comforting plant extract mask tailored for your skin on the day, biodynamic drainage or tension release facial massage, extractions if necessary and a hot stone shoulder massage. Bliss!

Some of the many fruit enzymes we may use in your customised treatment include passionfruit for firming and rejuvenating, raspberry for calming, peach for skin softening or papaya for exfoliation. But no matter which we choose, your treatment will be blissfully relaxing as well as deeply supporting for your skin, inside and out.

I think everyone that knows me and the Skin Essentials by Mariga philosophy of building great skin by nurturing the epidermis and it’s processes, is aware that we have three absolutes that you must avoid in your skincare:

Perfume, sulphates and essential oils.

The perfume and sulphates are easy enough to understand (perfume irritates skin, sulphates strip moisture) but often people are surprised that I include essential oils in that list – after all aren’t they natural?? (Yes – to plants!)

Find out exactly why the Skin Essentials way says no to essential oils in the video below:

Mariga x

Have you read Mariga’s book yet? ‘The Skincare Rules’ is packed full of simple, easy to implement tips that will help to get you great skin – for life!

Mariga’s Top Tips for reducing congestion in your pores and skin

Congestion, bumpy skin texture, blackheads and whiteheads are a very common skin complaints.

I split them into two categories – surface congestion and deeper issues.

Surface congestion is when your skin feels rough with tiny bumps that you can feel more so than see.

This usually happens when your skin needs a little extra TLC such as after outdoor exposure like a sun or ski holiday, after illness has depleted your reserves of water in the skin, or during Winter when surface dehydration is common.

The simple fix for this problem is to do an Enzyme Exfoliation to boost your skin’s processes and smooth surface texture.

You can do this at home using a product such as our Enzyme Exfoliator or have a treatment with one of our skin therapists. This type of congestion is generally temporary and will be well on the road to gone after your first home or clinical treatment.

Pore congestion is deeper and ranges from an occasional blocked pore such as a single blackhead through to multiple involvement of pores with open and closed comedones (blackheads and whiteheads) with a bumpy, uneven texture over much of the face.

Often this texture is made worse looking by attempting to cover it with makeup.

Congested, bumpy skin can be ongoing if not treated properly with appropriate home-care and clinical treatments.

As there may be many or multiple causes unique to every person, a skin analysis is advised in this case to personalise advice and recommendations for you, but there are a few things you can do/use that will be common to most people with this skin issue.

DO NOT try to extract blackheads, whiteheads or milia at home. It is easy to cause scarring, pigmentation and infection when you try to DIY it.

Always cleanse gently, over stripping the skin with foaming cleansers, hot water, scrubs or too-frequent exfoliation will all cause dehydration and inflammation, a recipe to congestion and dry, bumpy skin.

Drink plenty of water and get lots of good fats in your diet. Salmon, avocado and nuts all help. A healthy digestive system plays a huge part in healthy skin

Have professional treatments to get you going. Acid peels, enzyme peels and/or extractions will be necessary to deeply clean and reboot the skin to prepare it to absorb and use active ingredients daily for prevention.

Then move on to daily prevention.

Ingredients to look for in your products:

Salicylic Acid is the first ingredient to look for.

It is a BHA (beta hydroxy acid) which is oil soluble, as opposed to AHA’s such as glucolic or lactic acids which are water-soluble.

Being oil-soluble, salicylic acid can make it’s way into pore and effect deep pore cleansing. From the Skin Essentials by Mariga range, choose Salicylic Cleanser which also contains zinc to reduce inflammation which can contribute to congestion too (pore swells when skin is inflamed, trapping debris), as well as skin-healing vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin A is a must for skin health regardless of your skin type or issues. It has extra benefits for congested skin as it speeds up cellular renewal, helping to minimise formation of blockages inside the pore.

Anti-ageing doesn’t need to be complicated or confusing. It can be hard to figure out the many types of anti-ageing treatment, products and ingredients that we are constantly bombarded with on social media, magazines, tv etc. From snails to stem cells, vampire facials to baby botox, there is a never-ending stream of “the next big thing” in anti-ageing. If you are overwhelmed with choice, bewildered by conflicting advice and unsure of what’s really necessary, this blog is for you. Below I have outlined the basics of sensible, proven anti-ageing treatments and products that are all you will need to see a visible difference in your skin. If non-invasive anti-ageing is your thing (we deal in ‘fresh not frozen’ outcomes) then read on! These are my top 3 in treatments and products for a younger complexion on all skin types.

Prefer your info in video format? Scroll to the bottom

Treatments top three:

Microneedling – delay and reverse visible signs of ageing. This is the ultimate non-surgical treatment for giving you a youthful look that is fresh – not frozen. For those who want subtle yet visible revision of lines and laxity. Results are gradual and permanent. Fantastic also as a time-delay treatments for pre-ageing clients.

LED light therapy. Powerful, natural, non-invasive and customisable. Stimulates collagen, gives a revitalised softness and glow back to your skin. Add-on to your facial to supercharge results or have a course for a deep skin re-boot on skin that has been neglected or over-exposed to the sun. I have been using LED therapy on my clients for over ten years now and it shows in their skin!

Facial Massage. This old-school treatment will always have a place in our customised facials. A targeted, personalised facial massage is far more than just rubbing lotions into your skin. In the right hands it is a stand-alone anti-ageing tool that increases the availability of nutrition to the skin cells, stimulates lymph flow for sharper contours, releases muscle tension from the face, eyes and shoulders. Our therapists are trained in many types of massage so that we can tailor the best one for you. Examples are sculpting and lifting massage to give a more wide-awake and fresh look to the face and eyes, lymphatic drainage to reduce puffiness or pressure point manipulation to relieve tension. And of course whatever method we choose for your facial, it’s blissful to receive!

Products top three:

Gentle cleanser and SPF30 moisturiser are your basic core products in any skincare routine. Without a thorough, yet gentle, cleanse, your following products will not work to their full effectiveness. And, of course, we all know that prevention is better than cure, so SPF30 daily moisturiser is a must-have. From the Skin Essentials range look for Skin Comfort Cleanser and SPF30 Day Cream.

Serum. If you have not yet started using serum then it is time to make the change! Well-formulated serums can deliver targeted actives much deeper than your treatment cream and deliver visible results over time. There are serums for all ages and skin requirements but from an anti-ageing point of view the number one ingredient to use is Vitamin A, the global gold-standard in effective anti-ageing. This ingredient is vital for skin health and function and will keep cellular turnover at optimum levels, giving you brighter, clearer skin with less congestion, diminished lines and a more even colour and texture. Choose the correct serum for your skin type then add a vitamin A serum at night for anti-ageing power on every skin type. From the Skin Essentials range look at Age Slowly Serum.

Treatment Cream. Far more than a ‘moisturiser’, your chosen cream should supply nutrition, hydration and anti-oxidants at a minimum, then ideally you should be able to choose one that also has active ingredients for your skin’s particular needs. Ingredients to look out for: hyaluronic acid, plant butters, seed oils. Try to use creams that do not have silicone in the first few ingredients on the label as a general rule. For example: our Skin Comfort Cream is a fantastic universal cream for normal-dry skin types that will also provide multi-anti-oxidants, plant sterols to deeply moisturise and calm redness, all facilitating an environment where skin cells can function to their capacity, giving you a much slower ageing

For more information on any of these products or treatments, click the links in the text above, check out our treatments page, pop in top our clinic in Selskar, Wexford Town or call us on 053 9145981

You may have seen the Late Late Show last Friday night, and the segment on botox, lip fillers etc. I did a live video on Facebook to discuss the show and if you haven’t seen it, I will link it below.

Today I want to reflect on the aftermath of the segment and the negativity levelled at the show’s guests on social media.

Something that I have come to realise from talking to so many women over the years in the beauty business is that many women feel guilty about spending time or money on themselves.

Sometimes we feel like we should be happy as we are and not place so much importance on how we look. After all, its what is on the inside that counts, right?

Well I am here to call BS on that line of thought right now! If you are happy with how you look, fantastic! If you look in the mirror and feel that the person looking back at you reflects the person you feel like inside, even better.

But for those who don’t feel that way, please don’t feel bad for wanting to look good! Balancing how you feel inside (25 on a good day, 95 on others lol), with how you look in the mirror, can be a big factor in inner peace and self-confidence.Society places an awful lot of pressure on women to look younger, slimmer, more vital, than ever before. And yet the same society will ridicule and judge a woman for turning to cosmetic surgery or injectables. Enough!

It is not self-indulgent, vain or shallow to want to look the best you can, particularly if looking great boosts your self-esteem and contributes overall to a happy life. There are no medals for ageing slowly. There are equally no medals for getting old looking before you are ready. The prizes in life, I believe, go to those who are happy in their own skin. The prize is contentment and I believe that everybody should do whatever it takes for them to feel content in their life on a daily basis, And if that, for you, means holding back the onset of visible ageing and making peace with your mirror, then that’s what you should do.

My personal preference is to use natural, non-invasive methods of skin age reversal as I prefer a natural look, but what you do is up to you. It is your face, your life, and you owe nobody an explanation! You do you. Your way!
Mariga

As the new year is a time of fresh starts and making new habits, I thought it might help to recap on some basics in your skincare routine to make sure that you are getting the best possible performance and results from your products.

Today I am looking at cleansing top tips and FAQ’s:

Q. Do you need to cleanse if you are not wearing makeup?
A. YES!

Q. Do you need a separate eye makeup remover?
A. Not if you are using a good quality, unscented oil-based cleanser. Otherwise, yes.

Q. Do you need to do a full cleanse in the morning?
A. Assuming you have done it the night before, then no. Unless you have very oily skin.

Q. Do you need toner?
A. No, again if you are using a good quality water-soluble cleanser it is not necessary. Use one if you enjoy it but make sure it is alcohol free.

See more advice on double cleansing and the new trend for pre-cleansing on my latest YouTube video linked below.

I’m looking forward to helping you achieve beautiful skin in 2017. Please reach out and let me know how I can help you today.

Something I know everyone loves to see are real-life before and after photos of treatments and programmes you are interested in having done yourself. Of course, everyone wants to see them, but very few want anyone else to see theirs! So, apart from a few kind souls (who’s identity we keep very private in any case!) who allow us to post close-ups of treated areas, we can’t really show you any of the amazing results we get for our clients from corrective homecare or from our transformative treatments such as LED, microneedling and hydroporation.

So, we have to be our own guinea pigs/models/before and after clients And THAT’S why you are being treated to yet another before and after photo of me, sorry! In this image I want to illustrate the fabulous effects of hydroporation treatment. It is a method of introducing hyaluronic acid into the deep layers of the epidermis to reduce lines and wrinkles in soft tissues of the face. It is particularly effective on upper lip and mouth-to-chin lines but can also be used on lines between the brows and nose-to-lip lines.

I have taken screen grabs of two videos I made just over a year apart to illustrate the difference this treatment makes. I love that it is subtle, you wouldn’t look at me and think I had filler or anything. Yet, when you compare the images side by side the difference is quite astonishing. The obvious downturned lines at the corners of my lips are gone. I think the overall effect makes me look less tired and much fresher. Continue reading →